New Memorial Salutes Palatine Vets

It was quiet and the wind hadn`t yet picked up when 47-year-old Bill Nelson took his post at 5:30 a.m. Sunday near the granite slabs of the new Palatine Township Veterans Memorial.

The Vietnam War Army veteran stood for hours in the early morning stillness, with coffee, doughnuts and an electric heater to help ease the cold, as part of a 24-hour vigil. He said he did it ``for the memory of those the monument represents.``

After over two years of planning and a $30,000 loan from the village of Palatine and the Palatine Park District, the new monument was finally dedicated Sunday in a ceremony that attracted 1,500 people.

It was a day for honoring those who have served in the armed forces, as Veterans Day celebrations began a day early thoughout the Chicago area.

In Oak Park, a World War I monument was rededicated to the memory of those who died in military conflicts from the Spanish American War through Desert Storm. And at Ridge Park in Chicago, an Operation Desert Storm memorial was dedicated.

In Morris, a Korean/Vietnam Memorial was dedicated on the lawn of the Grundy County Courthouse, where a new veterans honor roll for those serving on active duty from June 25, 1950, through May 7, 1975, is now also on display.

Palatine`s celebration included a flyover by a Coast Guard helicopter. Veterans` groups from Wheeling, Des Plaines, Arlington Heights, and Palatine participated in the afternoon ceremony.

The $61,000 memorial, located at Northwest Highway and Wood Street, is made of five granite slabs. Four represent conflicts: World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The fifth slab is dedicated to all veterans of the armed forces. In the center of the pentagon formed by the slabs is a flagpole.

The design of the monument allows visitors to walk in and around the smooth, shiny stone surfaces on which the seals of each of the Armed Services are engraved.

``Before this weekend, these were just granite slabs,`` said John Glazbrook, a Palatine Township trustee and the chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee.

``After this weekend, they will take on a new meaning,`` he said.

With 21 color guards, Palatine`s ceremony brought together hundreds of veterans, including many from the Marine Corps, because Sunday marked the Corps` 216th birthday.

Bill Nelson, who lives in Arlington Heights, said he sees Veterans Day as a chance for veterans to ``get together to talk about your experiences in times of conflict.``

``There`s no way you can discuss your experiences with someone who was not in the situation, too, who has no common ground, who hasn`t been out in the dark freezing,`` Nelson said.

A moment later, he added: ``The common thing is you`re scared.``

World War II veteran Charlie Huestis of Des Plaines said he thinks such a memorial was ``well due.`` Huestis, who served in the Marine Corps, has a metal plate in his leg, where he was struck by shrapnel during a campaign on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima.

``Every town has their veterans, and this town is just showing a little thanks to them. That`s great,`` he said.

The holiday to be celebrated Monday was originally called Armistice Day, to commemorate the end of fighting of World War I. And 11 a.m. on Nov. 11-the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month-became a special and almost sacred time for all Americans.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as Armistice Day, and in 1954, Congress changed it to Veterans Day, to honor all United States veterans.

Like many adults, 45-year-old Judy Taylor of Chicago still observes her own personal, solemn ritual at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day.

``It`s the day I set aside the 11th hour, and I look to the east and say my prayer in thanks for all who served,`` said Taylor, who attended Palatine`s ceremony.

Pat Krajewski`s father served in World War II, and the 36-year-old Palatine mother remembers ``when I was a little girl and being in a grocery store and having to face a flag and salute`` when 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 rolled around.

Tom Moody of Palatine brought his three grandchildren to the memorial dedication.

Moody, 65, wore two service ribbons on his brown suede coat. The colors of the ribbons have faded, even though the World War II veteran hasn`t worn them since 1946, when he was discharged from the Navy.

``Not many people remember Desert Storm today, let alone Vietnam and Korea and World War II. People tend to forget, which is natural,`` said Moody. But Moody hasn`t forgotten. ``I still call it Armistice Day. I think people should remember.``